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February 2014 saw the band release their 'Back To Bagarmossen' EP on London/Stockholm indie label PNKSLM Recordings. The 10' vinyl received huge praise both internationally and at home, even picking up mainstream TV coverage on Sweden's TV4. Following the EP, Les Big Byrd are now preparing to unleash their debut full length release, 'They Worshipped Cats', on Anton Newcombe's A Records ,Anton has co written & plays 2 tracks on the album . They are supporting the Brian Jonestown Massacre on their European tour . When Anton recently visited Stockholm with his band The Brian Jonestown Massacre, the guys accidentally ran into each other at a local record shop, and started talking about music. Anton invited the band down to his studio in Berlin to record and jam for a few days and it was there that a big part of "They Worshipped Cats" was conceived and recorded. Les Big Byrd was formed in Stockholm by Joakim Åhlund and Frans Johansson a couple of years ago. They each eventually joined different rock bands that brought them out of Sweden and into a different world. Frans' band Fireside, got signed by Rick Rubin to his label Def American and Jocke had a taste of international success with 60's-influenced garage-pop outfit Caesars, as well as his other, more electronically flavored project Teddybears. They decided that they still - in spite of everything - had their love for music intact, and the dream in common to get the perfect band together and give it one more shot. They recruited Jocke's former bandmate, drummer Nino Keller and keyboardist Konie and started jamming and rehearsing. Joakim had been running a recording studio in Stockholm, writing and producing for Swedish and international artists, including Robyn and Håkan Hellström, and had also directed music videos for prominent Swedish exports such as Bob Hund, Refused, Broder Daniel and The International Noise Conspiracy. Keyboardist Konie also runs a studio in Stockholm, where he's been recording a number of film scores as well as many of Swedens most interesting black metal acts.

Lungu Boy is the third studio album from global superstar and Nigerian singer/songwriter, Asake. The album promises to captivate fans with its vibrant rhythms, soulful melodies, and poignant lyrics that reflect Asake's unique artistry and cultural roots. Lungo Boy showcases Asake's signature blend of Afrobeats, Amapiano, hip-hop, and highlife, creating a rich tapestry of sound that is both innovative and deeply rooted in African musical traditions. Each track on the album tells a story, weaving personal experiences with universal themes of love, struggle, and triumph. The album features collaborations with some of the biggest names in the music industry, like Travis Scott, WizKid, Central Cee, Stormzy, and LUDMILLA – adding exciting dynamics to Asake's already impressive sound.

Produced by a team of top-notch producers, Lungo Boy is a testament to Asake's commitment to quality and his relentless pursuit of musical excellence. The album also narrates the transition of Asake growing up on the streets of Lagos to becoming a global icon and living life in urban cities around the world. It identifies with the sights and sounds of Lagos (Eko, Lagos Island, Idumota Street), London (Hackney, Shoreditch, Brixton, Peckham), and New York (Brooklyn, Harlem).

The Weeks Island project began in 2018 when, itching for something during a break from his gig playing guitar for the Grammy-winning Cajun group Lost Bayou Ramblers, Jonny Campos ventured to his bandmate's house and recorded a series of deep, amoebic, ambient pedal steel passages across two afternoons. It wasn't all heavy, though: he paid that bandmate, Kirkland Middleton, in Cane's chicken strips. The tracks on Droste are named for bodies of water that no longer exist, their names wiped from maps thanks to the disintegrating shorelines of Southern Louisiana. That feeling of impermanence hangs over this record - the tracks don't so much begin and end as slip in and out of your consciousness. It can be a serene passive listen or a deep one that marinates long after the runout. Droste originally appeared on Nouveau Electric Records, run by another Rambler, Louis Michot, in 2020, digitally and on cassette. DFA picked it up via an connection from LCD Soundsystem's Korey Richey, and began a years-long process to cut the record to vinyl, a task made difficult by the sharp pedal steel and waves of harmonic distortion that color the music. After more than a few tries and the addition of three brand new tracks, Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service nailed it, and it was pressed beautifully at Furnace Record Pressing in Alexandria, VA.

The War On Drugs, "one of the premier live bands of their generation" (Pitchfork), announce Live Drugs Again, via Super High Quality Records and Transgressive / Canvasback. In support of Live Drugs Again, the band will kick off their Zen Diagram North American co-headline tour with The National, with support from Lucius, on September 12th. Recorded on tour between February 2022 through December 2023 in America, UK, Europe and Australia, Live Drugs Again follows 2020's Live Drugs and represents The War On Drugs at their ragged, righteous best. Bandleader Adam Granduciel comments, "Live Drugs Again chronicles the evolution of these songs from the studio to stages all over the world; documenting our continued growth as a live band. This series ensures that these versions, and some of our favorite moments on stage, will live on." As Consequence so accurately hailed, "it's hard to imagine a musical experience that's more enveloping and uplifting." This is hearing a band at its peak.

Das neue Solo-Meisterwerk von Gitarren-Ikone Mark Tremonti (Creed, Alter Bridge)!
Drei Jahrzehnte als Künstler, 18 Studioalben, tausende von Shows weltweit und noch immer geht Gitarrist, Sänger und Songwriter Mark Tremonti
dem unermüdlichen Drang nach, sich permanent weiterzuentwickeln. Mit seinem insgesamt 19. Studioalbum, und dem sechsten seiner Soloband
TREMONTI, The End Will Show Us How, das am 10. Januar 2025 über Napalm Records erscheint, setzt der US-Künstler neue Maßstäbe! Die Karriere
von Mark Tremonti ist von seinem fortwährenden inneren Antrieb geprägt, der ihm einen GRAMMY® Award, Milliarden weltweiter Streams und
Gesamtverkäufe von 60 Millionen Tonträgern einbrachte – sei es mit Creed, Alter Bridge oder seiner Soloband TREMONTI.
The End Will Show Us How präsentiert 12 neue Songs, die allesamt für die künstlerische Entwicklung Mark Tremontis stehen. Dabei beweist er auch
nach fast drei Jahrzehnten einmal mehr sein herausragendes Gespür in Sachen Songwriting. Gemeinsam mit seinen Bandkollegen Eric Friedman
(Gitarre), Tanner Keegan (Bass) und Ryan Bennett (Schlagzeug) begleitet Tremonti die Hörer*innen auf eine Reise durch verschiedenste
Kompositionen, bei der keine der anderen gleicht.
Produziert wurde The End Will Show Us How von Marks langjährigen Freund und Kollegen Michael „Elvis“ Baskette, mit dem er bereits seit 2007
zusammenarbeitet.

It is a creative venture with inclusive approach. The message is simple, music has the power to unite minds across the continents, cultures, generations and decades.

The Paradise Projex; a music project started and developed by ex-music director musician, songwriter, producer Phil Edwards, showcasing writing, production, performance and creativity with a legacy developed over a number of years combining experiences into a unique soulful sound. It is a creative venture with inclusive approach. The message is simple, music has the power to unite minds across the continents, cultures, generations and decades. Coming in January 2025, the new album “I Am You”, ahead of which has been a digital single “Here & Now” (former No.1 UK Soul Breakers chart) and now a vinyl release of two brand new songs “Magic Night” and “Someone Like You”.

Originally released in 1998 by Blackground Records, Tim's Bio: From the Motion Picture - Life from Da Bassment is the debut solo album from Hip-Hop & R&B superproducer Timbaland. With guest appearances from heavyweights such as Magoo, Missy Elliot, Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Plays, Skillz, Nas, Jay-Z & Twista, as well as the debut on-record appearance of acclaimed MC Ludacris, Timbaland takes full control of production for the album. The album features the hit songs, "Here We Come," and "Lobster & Scrimp."

'OK Crooner' the debut LP from French drummer and percussionist Vincent Taeger under his own name (after previous album under his alter ego Tiger Tigre) and his debut on vocals - mixes avant pop with jazz-fink and AOR.

Taeger, who has worked with Air, Damon Albarn, Justice, Lenny Kravitz, Skepta, Tony Allen, Oumou Sangare, Jeff Mills, Archie Shepp and Sampa the Great, during COVID started frantically listening to French vocalists such as Alain Souchon, Alain Chamfort, Richard Gotainer, and Christophe. Inspired by his elders, while not renouncing his attachment to the meticulous arrangements reminiscent of Alain Goraguer's soundtracks, he picked up a pen to jot down snippets of songs to accompany his increasingly sophisticated compositions. Coming from rap, he has a knack for punchlines. Throughout the album, he alternates between risque humour, Gaulish wit, and poetry.

While Vincent Taeger is the chief fireworks maker, playing most of the instruments, some of his longtime collaborators come to support him on a few tracks, forming the Jazz Kamasutra: Ludovic Bruni (bass), Sylvain Daniel (bass), Arnaud Roulin (piano, synth), Fred Soulard (synth), Maud Chabanis (vocals), Bettina Kee (vocals), Mathias Allamane (double bass), Emile Sornin (ondioline), and Remi Sciuto (saxophones). Vincent Taurelle, mixed the abum. Recently, he has worked on albums by Justice, Seun Kuti, Raphael, and Clara Luciani.

Stick To Your Guns hold a mirror up to society’s ills without blurring its ugliness. In an attempt to unapologetically trumpet real change, the Southern California quintet—Jesse Barnett vocals,Andrew Rose [bass],Adam Galindo[drums], Chris Rawson [guitar], and Josh James [guitar]—never shy away from speaking or screaming unpopular truths from the purest place. Founded in2003, Stick To Your Guns have always written and performed with a sense of urgency, their socially conscious message hitting as hard as their signature hybrid of hardcore, punk, and metal. Over the course of their career, they’ve amassed over 50 million total streams, performed on four continents, and shared stages with the likes of Parkway Drive, Architects, and Every Time I Die. Most recently, Alternative Press praised 2017’s True View as “the result of a long time spent on self-reflection and realization.” The band’s latest release ‘Invisible Rain’ incorporates two new songs that remain quintessentially Stick To Your Guns while incorporating fresh elements. The band’s relentless pursuit of a better world and their critique of societal injustices continues to drive their music and message. In 2024, Stick To Your Guns signed with SharpTone Records, marking a new chapter in their storied career. This partnership promises to bring their potent blend of activism and music to an even broader audience, amplifying their call for change and social justice.

The War On Drugs, “one of the premier live bands of their generation” (Pitchfork), announce Live Drugs Again, via Super High Quality Records and Transgressive / Canvasback. Recorded on tour between February 2022 through December 2023 in America, UK, Europe and Australia, Live Drugs Again follows 2020’s Live Drugs and represents The War On Drugs at their ragged, righteous best.

Bandleader Adam Granduciel comments, “Live Drugs Again chronicles the evolution of these songs from the studio to stages all over the world; documenting our continued growth as a live band. This series ensures that these versions, and some of our favorite moments on stage, will live on.”

As Consequence so accurately hailed, “it’s hard to imagine a musical experience that’s more enveloping and uplifting.” This is hearing a band at its peak.

Roger & Brian Eno have revolutionized many concepts of music production and performance, from Brian Eno's groundbreaking treatment of pop music to younger brother Roger Eno's Erik Satie-esque ambient synth/piano recordings. These qualities resonate on this release. Each brings their unerring sense of place and mood to the album. The timbre in each track deepens and opens up with each listen. Concrete yet abstract tracks guide the listener through the collection, which was created over several years in a unique collaboration between the two artists.

Das sechste Studioalbum der schottischen Band Franz Ferdinand!

In The Human Fear geht es um das Menschsein und die Ängste, die uns dazu machen, aber man hätte es auch kühn nennen können. Kühn auf eine Art, wie wir es gerne sind. Es ist ihr sechstes Album, das sie mit dem Produzenten Mark Ralph hauptsächlich in Schottland aufgenommen haben, mit ein paar Overdubs in London und Paris. Bob Hardy und Alex Kapranos gründeten die Band 2002, Julian Corrie und Dino Bardot kamen 2016 dazu und Audrey Tait 2021. Dies ist die erste vollständige LP mit Dino und Audrey, obwohl sie auf den letzten Singles mitgewirkt haben und mit der Band ausgiebig getourt sind. Unsere Ängste definieren unsere Menschlichkeit. Wir finden unseren Charakter und unsere Persönlichkeit, wenn wir unsere Reaktion auf sie verstehen. Was sie auslöst. Es ist nicht unbedingt die Angst selbst, die uns menschlich macht, sondern das, was wir mit ihr machen oder was wir zulassen, dass sie mit uns macht. Was wir nicht wählen können und was wir können. Unsere Ängste sagen uns, wie wir menschlich sind. Jeder Song hängt an einer anderen Angst. Es geht darum, in den Abgrund zu blicken und dann zu sagen:
"Scheiß drauf... ich kann genauso gut noch einen trinken, bevor ich hineinfalle." Es gibt klangliche Überraschungen und verschiedene Perspektiven auf dem Album, aber wenn man die Band kennt, weiß man, dass sie es gemacht hat. Die es genossen haben, es zu machen. OK, einige der Themen können ein wenig düsterer werden, aber es gab Licht und Freude beim Zusammenstellen.
Das Album beginnt mit dem Track "Audacious" der als Vorabsingle den Ton für das Album angibt. Die zweite Single, die im November erscheinen wird, ist "Night Or Da"y, die sowohl in den Texten als auch in der Musik die Spannung zwischen Angst und Spaß darstellt. Das klangvolle Synthie-Stück "Hooked" zeigt eine andere Seite des Albums und wird unser Fokus-Track bei der Veröffentlichung sein. Das Album wird Mitte September zusammen mit einer Reihe von Live-Terminen in Großbritannien und Europa angekündigt und am 10. Januar 2025 veröffentlicht. Die Band wird außerdem im Oktober und November für Live-Shows nach Mexiko und Südamerika reisen.

The High Llamas discover America - yes, it had been done before, but not via their envisaged pilgrims" passage. Energized by the breakthroughs of Gideon Gaye, they went all-in, producing a wide-screen epic further exploring their unique agenda. The reference points multiplied, stretching through realms of classic pop and jazz, soundtrack music, exotica and neo-Americana, while charting a journey through musical landscapes of abiding lightness.

Debut studio album by American female RnB/Soul trio Brownstone. Originally released by Epic Records in Jan '95. Featues the top 10 R&B hits "If You Love Me" and "Grapevyne," plus a cover of The Eagles' "I Can't Tell You Why". Executive production by Michael Jackson. This is a x12 trk, Double Black LP Vinyl. Marketing.

Wiederveröffentlichung des Albumklassikers von 1983. Der Longplayer wurde seinerzeit mit den Roots Radics im Channel One Studio eingespielt, Soldgie aka Cedrica Anthony Hamilton saß dabei am Mischpult, als Produzent fungierte Henry 'Junjo' Lawes. Der Künstler Josey Wales (bürgerlich Joseph Winston Sterling) ist neben Yellowman der wichtigste Deejay der 80er Jahre, er benannte sich nach dem '76er Western mit Clint Eastwood 'The Outlaw' (deutscher Titel 'Der Texaner'). Für das gleichnamige Album kamen u.a. die zwei Studio One Riddims 'Full Up', 'A Love I Can Feel', sowie 'Fat She Fat' und 'Youth In the Ghetto' zum Einsatz.

The Outrun ist eine lebendige und unerschrockene Adaption von Amy Liptrots erschütternden persönlichen
Memoiren über Sucht, angetrieben von einer außergewöhnlichen Hauptdarstellerin, Saoirse Ronan. Eine
junge Frau muss auf den abgelegenen Orkney-Inseln um ihre Genesung ringen und sich gleichzeitig mit
ihrer komplexen Familiengeschichte auseinandersetzen.
Der Soundtrack, komponiert von John Gürtler und Jan Miserre, reicht von Techno bis zum Evensong, ist
zugleich rau und eindringlich und enthält schöne Anklänge an die traditionelle Volksmusik der OrkneyInseln, wo der Film spielt. Traditionelle schottische Instrumentierung vom preisgekrönten Dudelsackspieler
Malin Lewis. Der Komponist und Instrumentenbauer verbindet in Tracks wie „Croncrake“ tiefe traditionelle
Wurzeln mit abenteuerlicher Innovation.

True Game is the debut and sole studio album by American hip hop duo Mad CJ Mac. It was released on May 23, 1995 via Rap-A-Lot Records.

MANOWAR is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980, the band is known for lyrics based on fantasy and mythology . The band is also known for a Loud and Bombastic sound. In 1984 the band was included in the Guinness Book of World Records for delivering the loudest performance, a record which they have since broken on two occasions. They also hold the world record for the longest heavy metal concert after playing for five hours and 1 minute in Bulgaria (at Kavarna Rock Fest) in 2008. MANOWAR have also been known for their slogan "Death to false metal » and have maintained a very strong following with dedicated fans worldwide as referred to by the band as "Metal Warriors", "Manowarriors", "Immortals" or "Brothers of Metal". The band signed with Atlantic Records in 1987. Via Atlantic, they released 'Fighting the World', which enjoyed more extensive distribution and increased the band's prominence in the international heavy metal scene. Album art was designed by Ken Kelly. In 1988, MANOWAR released the album 'Kings of Meta’l, which is the band's best known work. Songs like "Heart of Steel", "Kings of Metal" and "Hail and Kill" are performed regularly in concerts. 'Kings of Metal' is MANOWAR's highest-selling album worldwide. A new musical unit after the recent changes, MANOWAR released The Triumph of Steel in 1992. It gained some great success and was particularly famous for the presence of a suite lasting no less than 28 minutes entitled "Achilles, Agony and Ecstasy in Eight Parts", inspired by the events of the Iliad and the hero Achilles. After this release, the band went on a world tour for two years. Those MANOWAR’s album have become legendary and are still must have in any metal fan record collection . Vinyls formats Having been very rare and reaching high prices online, those three albums are now being made available again in quality coloured vinyls; Grab them now while you can !!

Brandneue Auflage auf weissem Doppelvinyl: Mac Millers Mixtape "Macadelic" aus dem Jahr 2012 mit der Hitsingle "Loud" und den Featuregästen Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Cam'ron, Joey Bada$$, Sir Michael Rocks, Iman Omari, Casey Veggies und Juicy J.

Over 19 tracks, Wayfaring Strangers: Cosmic American Music mines gold from dollar bin country-rock detritus to reconstruct events as seen from the genre's wild west - Americana's vast private press substructure. As progenitor and contemptuous poster boy for the music that came to be Cosmic American, Gram Parsons found himself mired in a recording career spent mostly in scouting the perimeters of chart success. "He hated country-rock," Parsons collaborator Emmylou Harris would later reflect. "He thought that bands like the Eagles were pretty much missing the point." Parsons had been orbiting the idea of Cosmic American Music for some time. In 1968 he'd parted ways with the Byrds and was looking to take air with a new project. "It's basically a Southern soul group playing country and gospel-oriented music with a steel guitar" he told Melody Maker, on the subject of The Flying Burrito Brothers. So it was that when A&M's Burrito Brothers debut The Gilded Palace of Sin made it to shelves in February of 1969, early adherents to the Cosmic American gospel were already echoing its message from areas flanking Gram Parsons' Southern California hills and canyons. There was F.J. McMahon in coastal Santa Barbara, Mistress Mary further inland in Hacienda Heights, and Plain Jane of Albuquerque, New Mexico, each responding by committing their own private readings to tape before day one of the 1970s. Parsons himself might've disdained them, had he even been aware of such minor ripples, shimmering at the edges of his desert oasis. But these were true believers all the same, given over fully to his roots music concept, each filling vinyl grooves with non-rock instrumentation like fiddle, banjo, and pedal steel guitar, the last undoubtedly Cosmic American Music's most distinguishing stringed signifier. Only too predictably, big labels did the grunt work of confining and defining the movement, as ABC, United Artists, RCA, and more played catch-up with Asylum's raptor rock juggernaut, via backwoods crossover also-rans with names like Gladstone, American Flyer, and Silverado. Twang reigned, the shitkickers kicked shit, and the vaguely western-sounding guitar records piled up. Country-rock became "the dominant American rock style of the 1970s," as Peter Doggett's comprehensive Are You Ready for the Country put it much later. Wayfaring Strangers: Cosmic American Music picks up and dusts off golden ingots from the dollar-bin detritus of that domination, to reconstruct events as seen from the genre's real Wild West-America's one-off private press label substructure.

Aventura is an American bachata group that broke into the mainstream with their 2002 hit "Obsesión (featuring Judy Santos)". With a line-up comprising Romeo Santos, Lenny Santos, Henry Santos and Max Agende Santos, they are regarded as one of the most influential Latin groups of all time. They have sold out many arenas including the world-famous Madison Square Garden. Aventura has been nominated for awards such as American Music Awards, the Latin Grammy Awards, Billboard Latin Music Awards, and Premio Lo Nuestro.

NOW is going back to the 1970s to proudly present the next instalment in our ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series.

Released on 49 tracks across 3LPs pressed in beautiful blue vinyl, celebrating a magnificently diverse year of Pop singles… NOW – Yearbook 1977.

The Acidboychair music project started in the early noughties as a commentary on what journalist Simon Reynolds would summarise a few years later as Retromania. Initially conceived by Thomas Baldischwyler and Andreas Diefenbach as a performative revival travesty with large-format drum computers and synthesizers reconstructed from cardboard, everything took a surprising turn when DJ Mooner (the man behind the now defunct Munich music label Erkrankung Durch Musique) took an interest in the adventurous audio material produced by Baldischwyler. In 2005, the LP 1987 (EDM1016), produced almost exclusively with long-forgotten software (SoundEdit 16, RB-338, etc.), was released on Mooner's label. As a result of the growing number of bookings, Baldischwyler had to think about improving the performability of his intentionally amateurish productions. Fortunately, the Ableton Live programme became a DAW with a MIDI sequencer and support for VST plug-ins as early as 2004 - and this made it easier for him to execute his intuitive, error-friendly version of acid house. This can be heard on the first two sample-heavy tracks on the A-side of Come Down Easy, which were recorded in 2005 and 2006 respectively at Acidboychair gigs at Hamburg's Golden Pudel Club and Munich's Registratur. The first two tracks on the B-side (produced sometime between 2006 and 2008) were actually supposed to be part of a solo release on the Acido label run by Dynamo Dreesen, but this never materialised. However, the final tracks and the 133.3 BPM lock grooves that follow are the title and central to this catalogue number TBG123: Through ethno-musicologist Arthur Boto Conley, who had already released a one-sided 12 on his label with material from one of Baldischwyler's audio installations, he met Florian Meyer (Don't DJ) and Marc Matter (Spoken Matter), who introduced him to their collaborative project Institut F?r Feinmotorik (IFFM). Baldischwyler's attempt to approach the sound aesthetics of IFFM led to the tape 60 Minutes Of Barely Modified Lock Grooves (TCCC06), recorded in Rome in 2018. A buyer of this tape introduced him to the Detroit collective Pure Rave, which he immediately contacted and introduced to the work of the IFFM. It was important for Baldischwyler to have an analogue update made and so both the Detroiters and IFFM, who now live in Berlin, were given 8 copies of EDM1016's backstock to remix the material in their own way. At their jam in Detroit, Pure Rave opted for the almost identical material that IFFM had also used for a live performance in the Hamburg project space Beek. The dominant jumps in both arrangements come from the track Eightyseven, produced in the early 2000s for the LP 1987, an awkward remix of the Spacemen 3 track Come Down Easy, which is also referred to in the liner notes on the inner sleeve of TBG123. The almost two-decade-old revival idea thus turns into false memory syndrome and runs into a - in keeping with our times - clean-cut (endless) groove. Kassem Mosse (The KM of MM/KM) on Come Down Easy after a first listening session: I think it all works very well as a mix, no matter where you start it carries you further forward back in the loop. if I understand the liner notes correctly, it's about the music's turn from tradition preservation (doing everything right) to ecstatic delusion (not doing everything right when intoxicated). Now that I'm reading again instead of listening, the titles give me a different understanding of the connections; how the skipping belongs together, which playtime is connected. Now I can name my favourites. Thank you for the journey!

“My introduction to “noise” came from a record shop in Lake Worth, Florida ran by a musician named Kenny 5. Kenny had left Detroit sometime in the mid nineties and had begun selling used records and CD’s from the downtown strip of this tiny southern Florida city in a humble shop sandwiched between a deli and a dog grooming business. Kenny previously was on labels like Amphetamine Reptile and timeSTEREO, and the records and videotapes that would be on repeat at his shop were a vast sonic expanse that spoke to the eclecticism of his experience as a touring musician participating and adjacent to American noise culture through the early to late 90’s. In 1998, I was eleven years old and I would order a pizza with him and watch VHS tapes of Japanese noise and deathmatch bootlegs, as well as any other sonic and subcultural rarities that far outstripped my age to comprehend (notably the RRR “Journey Into Pain” compilation and various Vanilla Tapes videos). This widecast net of information formed an introduction to a reality that did not fall deaf on me, but it took many years later for me to reorient the specific freedoms of what this dense and cathartic sound culture had imparted on my life and would continue onward to.

What does this have to do with this selection of choice recordings from the Secret Boyfriend catalog for the enmossed label? For the uninitiated, Secret Boyfriend is the long running moniker of Ryan Martin, North Carolina musician and label proprietor of the Hot Releases imprint. For over a decade from this writing I have watched Secret Boyfriend, and Hot Releases by extension as a curatorial and archival effort, embodying the multiplanal capacity that noise loosely functions from as an umbrella ideology and formalist avenue for sound creation. For anecdotal purposes, from (before) 2006 until roughly 2023 the East Coast of the United States showcased a vibrant network of eclectic regional festivals that saw wide swaths of artists addressing and negotiating the notion of what qualified “noise” from a conceptual and ideological perspective. Some festivals honed in on particularities in aesthetics and tropes, and others had a kind of “catch-all” implementation that allowed for a salvation of the sort of alienated and singular artistry that was amassing throughout these territories. While clear guidelines had been set from regional predecessors as to how noise with a capital “N” should maneuver, Secret Boyfriend is emblematic in the spirit of fluidity that was either implicitly coupled to the notion of the genre, or grew to evolve towards or devolve from.

Within Secret Boyfriend performances, I have seen and admired a mirroring from a ravenous appreciator of this culture at large back towards itself. Typical of a Secret Boyfriend set is an interchangeable narrative arc wherein blistering feedback laden scrap metal improvisations are forayed into naive ambient or “pop” songs, or skipping CDs, or mixer feedback play, or delayed Roland 707 drum workouts all at once and in a unique hegemony. Secret Boyfriend's stylistic mastery of each endeavor is at once an homage to a history of loving listening and enacting, while a brave step into the realm of actualizing the unique fluidity of his own practice. In performance and the action of network engagement, Secret Boyfriend operates a survey of that which he sought to hear and that which he cultivates around his work. His operations are mirrors, and the project (alongside his other peers) is a reflection on the ethos of his time.

Conversely his recording practice narrows in on these moments and allows for a different kind of intimacy or alienation for the non live listener. This record of selected “pop songs” (let's call them that) is particularly poignant at a time when the culture Martin mirrors is at a strange crossroads with itself. The aforementioned festival networks necessarily change and shift. The onlookers become the artists, the artists find new horizons, and the spaces for these cycles fade into locales of a distant memory. It seems, from my perspective, that audiences currently yearn for a more bottlenecked experience, searching for some ontologically vetted manifestation of an idea, of a sound and less for an experience that functions in opposition to our collective banalities. This makes sense in the face of general global catastrophism that plagues us. We need certainty of what something is somewhere, don’t we? Noise as an idea has expanded and contracted to so many iterations of itself it is hard to tell what it even is, and it is particularly difficult to identify in the absence of solid network activations a moment to reflect on its own complexities and nuances. In the face of so much change, I argue that the language of noise culture at large has on one hand become increasingly didactic and predictable, and laughably inclusive and non linear on the other. Probably has always been this way, but now we are in the midst of a moment of extreme access and indexicality, which somehow cauterizes expansion and naivety and chance.

This record highlights the Secret Boyfriend that obscures didacticism by highlighting output that opens up for more challenging catharsis and emotive signal processing. It provides an entry to the materialism of a cultural field full of ecstatic complexity and beautiful inconsistency. In these muted moments Secret Boyfriend has given us over his career we have an argument for evolving languages that further challenge our notions of what is supposed to happen and how it is supposed to be presented. In his more song oriented expansiveness, we can punctuate the ability to think in new modalities. Listening to these recordings reminds me of the polarity of sitting in the record store as a kid and understanding that His Name Is Alive is on 4AD and (gasp!) timeSTEREO. This trite early impression that nothing is really as different as our imaginations might want them to be, and that we can do whatever we want mostly within the creative realms we work through is an important filter to look through Secret Boyfriend as a project and a vessel. If we can achieve abandon and vulnerability through our artistic endeavors, then we have a sound model for, maybe, new potentialities. If that’s too much projection, or just complete liberal bullshit, I am fine with that. Secret Boyfriend's oeuvre at best offers us moments of reprieve to ponder these complexities, or at least a moment to zone out on a drive through North Carolina Highway 54.

You have one pocket of life that you must do whatever you want to inside of. Secret Boyfriend does it affectionately, in a variety of forms, and always with deep sentimentality. These recordings are a wonderful set of songs to begin further investigation from. Thank you Ryan for allowing as many avenues as possible to continue a broad cultural exchange and conversation that intersect and refract while being the kind of artist that is brave enough to not phone in the effort.”

- Nick Klein , May 2024

"We are delighted to be able to bring you these gorgeous field recordings from the Sumedang Province of West Java which, over their 50 minutes, present two distinct sides of Sundanese musical and devotional culture.

Although West Java is a Muslim country, these recordings highlight currents of pre-Islamic animist beliefs and practices that continue to flourish in the small towns and villages of the highlands of West Java. The recordings showcase two forms of trance music that are essential to the spiritual life of the Sundanese people in the highland regions.

Tarawangsa trance music is a traditional ceremonial genre known for its deep spiritual and hypnotic qualities. This music is made using only two instruments, the tarawangsa, a two-stringed fiddle, accompanied by the jentreng, a seven-stringed zither, creating a unique blend of resonant, droning sounds. Historically, tarawangsa music has been performed as part of sacred rituals and agricultural celebrations to honor local deities and ancestors, particularly associated with the Sunda culture. The minimalist, repetitive melodies gradually build, guiding participants and listeners into a meditative, trance-like state, during which dancers can be possessed by the spirits of ancestors or deities from the spirit realm, the music serving as a link between the two worlds.

In stark contrast to the calm, medititive sound of tarawangsa, we also present here two long pieces from Panca Buana Reak Group. Sundanese Reak trance music is like the punk rock of Sunda folk music, combining powerful and driving rhythms played on a number of hand drums and percussion instruments with the buzzing sound of the tarompet, a double reed wind instrument often amplified through whatever mobile speaker system might be at hand. Sometimes the group will play gamelan gongs, as heard on the first piece on the album, although this remains a music that is popular mainly with the working class youth of the rural villages, many of whom will also be fans of Indonesia's burgeoning metal and punk scenes. Reak performances are often wild, anarchic events that feature masked dancers, costumes, public trancing and spirit possession.

These recordings were made by Xenia At during her travels through West Java earlier this year. The tarawangsa recordings were made in a home in the village of Rancakalong on the evening of 17th January 2024, while Panca Buana Reak Group were recorded during rehersals in the village of Cinunuk on 19th and 20th January 2024."

Limited edition of 100 copies.

The musicians:
Overture (played by Panca Buana Reak Group, musicians: Rian Hidayat, Daffa, Rendi, Haswa, Doni, Aconk, Bayu, Zidan, Iwan Uwak, ⁠Mahadewa Sehu, ⁠Bebet, Adi, Bebet).
Reundeu - Master Yayat (kacapi), Tedi Kurniadi (tarawangsa).
Degung - Master Yayat (kacapi), Teguh Permana (tarawangsa).
Pamapag__Gelar Mataram__Panimang__Limbangan - Akbar Nendi (kacapi) & Tedi Kurniadi (tarawangsa).
Reak Lugay Pusaka Pajajaran (played by Panca Buana Reak Group, musicians: Aconk (tong), Rendi (brung), Hendrik (tarompet), Ade (kecrek), Riki (bedug), Doni (talingtit), Adi (badublag).

Xenia would like to extend gratitude to:
Master Yayat, Tedi Kurniadi, Akbar Nendi, and Teguh Permana for their incredible talent that turned this recording into a magical experience.
Ibrahim Adi Surya for technical support.
The Juarta Putra and Panca Buana Reak groups for explaining the cultural significance of local traditions.
Anggun Tresnasari for sharing her deep knowledge of regional music traditions.
Igor Moskalenko, Kate Snap, Stasya Frolova, Roman Gold, Misha Maltsev, Ilona Popychko, Galih Muhammad, Wildan Wiliansyah, Rizalu Ramadhan, Rahi Rahmat, Fahmi Solihin and Muhammad Ismael whose unwavering belief made this project possible.

Hive Mind would like to thank Luigi Monteanni (Artetetra) and Palmer Keen (Aural Archipelago) for their invaluable work and research in this region.

The Ghentian skyline has low peaks and hides its horrors in full view ~ walk streamside and you’ll quickly be confronted with façades that leer with their tales and secrets, the angels and demons that built this city holding up its mortar and stone in an inextricable embrace. It is within this incongruous backdrop that Benoît Monsieurs has fostered the Venediktos Tempelboom persona. Using the 12-string guitar as his main instrument, the self-taught musician creates passages that take fingerpicking Americana and Eastern transcendence into the Flanders fields, with winding compositions that distill the essence of giants like John Fahey, Robbie Basho and Jack Rose and folds them into the dark drone melancholia of Funeral Folk/KRAAK stalwarts like Silvester Anfang, Helvete and Ignatz. The results are ringing meditations of awe and terror, flamboyant and grotesque yet utterly mesmerizing in their unrooted sonic imagery.

In his debut LP, Syne Vuyle Hoeck, the Tempelboom amalgamates his influences - East, West and deep Flanders alike - into a flurry of acid-drenched tracks that spread out into a distinctive musical iconography. Each composition carries a facet, highlighting angel and demon in equal measure: the solemn opener “De woelige rit op een roze wolkje” is a threading of melodies that carry pensive heft and hopeful asides, as hints of ragtime buoyancy lead into sullen ruminations in a fully lucid change of course; “Ocharme Ochgod” is a sober penitence, slowly and almost imperceptibly building up into a tangle of lines that inexorably coil back into their brooding backbone; the echoing tape loop of “In Flock” reverberates and torments, steel sharpness and frayed magnetic disintegration finding improbable common ground; “El Contrario” swerves unforgivingly in an Eastern-infused openness reminiscent of Six Organs’ rawer days and unnervingly giving way to a forceful - dare we say upbeat - conclusion. And so one treks into the depths of the Tempelboomian universe, a place of high drama and low morals inhabited by a prankster creator who deploys euphoria and distress in equal measure. Just as the strings of his guitar are left to echo like sparkles in the dark, so his music lingers in the soil of our humanity, redolent of the kind of peace one can only make with the demons of the self.

After a kickass track on the newArray0 V/A, along with Nineties Entities, Binary Digit, MAURER and bell hooks, Silent Manifesto now returns with full length power, still advocating the power of the rave, the acid and the electro to cleanse the soul and start anew.

Yet, the journey is dark and difficult: meadows of technological ruins, rivers of benzodiazepine, mountains of self-contrition and guilt, these are but a few of the obstacles on this record, but do not fear, dear listener, as the fattest of the fattest kicks and the most sinuous bass lines will be your best allies.

Whether you want to dance, to reflect upon the past, the present, the future, to get fucked up in your apartment, this record is perfect for you.
Whether you are an electrohead, an urban pessismist, an optimist pastoral raver, a nostalgic of a future past, this record is also perfect for you.

Traders, cops, bankers, neo-liberalism enthusiasts, start-uppers, neophiles, technological believers, soldiers of power, authority, domination and progress, you can go fuck yourselves.

2024 Repress ON BLACK VINYL

The album and single news follows closely on the heels of Daudi’s recent tracks “oMo” and “Fool Me As Many Times As You Like” which have received high praise from the likes of Gilles Peterson on Worldwide FM and BBC 6 Music as well as Lauren Laverne, and have been featured in several Spotify editorial playlists including The Most Beautiful Songs in the World, The Other list, The Listening Post, and Fresh Finds. Having released just two independent EPs – “A Brief Introduction to Failure” and “The Lingering Effects of Disconnection” – to date, Daudi has toured with GoGo Penguin, Keaton Henson, and Portico Quartet, whilst also being a participant of the Red Bull Music Academy in Montreal 2016. He also received a standing ovation at this years The Great Escape Festival, and plays as a member of Do Nothing’s live band, who he is currently on tour with. Through his unique brand of modern albeit reverent folk, Daudi continues to offer his listeners a space for understanding and introspection. Deft, melancholic picking reminiscent of Nick Drake is tempered by contemporary percussion and instrumentation. Matsiko’s vocals derive their strength from their seeming fragility. With every song, his confessional lyrics cut to the marrow.

Special is the highly-anticipated upcoming album from global superstar & 3-time GRAMMY® winner Lizzo, which follows her multi-Platinum selling, top-10 debut album, CUZ I LOVE YOU, released in 2019. It will be released everywhere July 15th via Nice Life/Atlantic Records with the pre-order going live on April 14th. The album will feature her irresistible new single “About Damn Time,” out everywhere alongside the pre-order.

CUZ I LOVE YOU spent 24 consecutive weeks in the chart’s Top 10 whilst “Truth Hurts” also became the longest running #1 by a solo female rap artist in history after spending seven weeks atop the charts. In addition to gracing the cover of Rolling Stone, PEOPLE, Variety, Billboard’s GRAMMY® Preview Issue, British Vogue & Elle’s Women In Music Issue amongst others, her high-profile TV appearances include the opening performance at the 62nd Annual GRAMMY® Awards, 2019 American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards & BET Awards and she is set to return to Saturday Night Live, pulling double duty as host and musical guest. Most recently she has partnered with Logitech as the face of their 2022 “Defy Logic” campaign. Lizzo has also cemented herself as one of music’s most in-demand live performers with standout performances throughout her sold-out ‘CUZ I LOVE YOU’ & ‘CUZ I LOVE YOU TOO’ tours and a headline appearance at Lollapalooza.

"Sirene" is the second album of the duo composed by Stefano Ghittoni (TheDining Rooms, Le Petit) and Bruno Dorella (Ovo, Ronin, Sigillum S), following their 2019 release "Estatico."This composition explores a captivating territory where the artists has been working for many years, combining experimental techniques with inviting elements from different genres of popular and underground music.

The album starts with ethereal and ambient electroacoustic sounds, gradually incorporating subtle rhythms, arpeggiations, and slightly broken beats. It creates a moody and introspective sonic landscape that maintains a sense of abstraction. This is enhanced by the textural complexity derived from various sources such as samples, tape manipulations, field recordings, and unconventional sounds woven together with traditional instruments.
The album encompasses a range of electronic practices, psychedelic minimalism, and dense ambience, with a touch of shoegaze, resulting in a truly beautiful experience.

"Jake Amy is one of Australia’s most exciting nu-jazz outfits. Their sound synthesises up-tempo future-sonic jazz with hip-hop breakbeats, luscious synth harms, afro-cuban grooves & electronic music. 'Yoofee' and 'Graze' are both heavy-hitting tunes that go from high energy jazz-funk to darker drum&bass aesthetics, tightly executed in a live trio setting. Jake Amy is a Melbourne-based session pianist, producer, audio engineer, and social justice journalist. As a non-binary and queer artist, Jake’s music is deeply influenced by their experiences with gender visibility and their advocacy for non-binary representation. Their work is a bold, boundary-pushing exploration of identity and authenticity, reshaping the nu-jazz genre with every release."

Jack Adkins, the creative force behind the moniker Jamin’ Jack, has a multifaceted musical journey that began in the mid-'60s in Cincinnati. Initially cutting his musical teeth in garage bands like the Coachmen, Adkins would later embark on a decade-long journey as Jamin’ Jack, the One Man Band, from 1983 to 1993. A pivotal moment unfolded in the early '80s when, at the age of 36, Adkins walked into London Music studio in Tampa to record his debut LP, 'American Sunset.' This album, distinguished by its evocative portrayal of the West's decline, emerged as a defining piece in Adkins's musical repertoire. Its sonic landscape, characterized by guitars and drum machines, resonates with a familiar and poignant atmosphere. The subsequent decade witnessed Adkins assuming the persona of Jamin’ Jack, the One Man Band, embarking on an extensive ten-year tour. Adapting to a corporate presentation style, he not only refined his musical craft but also mastered the art of bantering and entertaining, overcoming his initial shyness. During this nomadic period, Adkins carried the master tapes of 'American Sunset' with him on the road. In a poetic expression of his transient lifestyle, he pressed LPs and tapes in Houston, selling them directly at various venues. The album, at its zenith, serves as a sonic backdrop to the lonesome and transient life on the road, encapsulating the essence of a nation seemingly heading into the sunset. 'American Sunset' stands as a must-listen for enthusiasts of Trans-era Neil Young and the dystopian vibes reminiscent of Repo Man, offering a captivating musical narrative that echoes the spirit of its time. Neofolk electronica? we're not sure, but its just amazing! Only 500 units of this 'sunset' coloured vinyl will ever exist. You waited 40 years for this anniversary meeting, so don't blow it, buy it!

We are pleased to present the second instalment of the Penrose Showcase series. Featuring 14 more souldies from the ever-growing Penrose family, get down with this one-stop-shop for some of he best groups on today's soul scene: Thee Sacred Souls, The Altons, Los Yesterdays, Vicky Tafoya and the Big Beat, Junior Scaife and the Penrose Scholars, Johnny and the Escapers and Jonny Benavidez.

On October 18th, Nicolas Michaux will release his third album, titled Vitalisme. This album consists of twelve recordings made over the years on the Danish island of Samsø and at the Free House, the studio of Capitane Records in Brussels. Much like in his previous album Amour Colère, Michaux navigates between polarities in Vitalisme : dawn and dusk, birth and destruction, hope and cold lucidity, past and future. However, this time it is less about exploring the different poles of human experience and more about bringing them together at a precise point where life unfolds. Armed with impeccable writing in both French and English, Michaux traverses the familiar lands of inspired songwriters, addressing grand themes of timeless poetry as well as the empirical realities of the contemporary world: love, illness, war, wisdom, resurrection; but also climate change and class war